The 4 Majors in golf: history, tradition and the Grand Slam

In the golf world, the four most important tournaments of the year are collectively called the Majors. Winning a Major is the ultimate yardstick for the career of a professional golfer. The current line-up of the Majors — three in the United States and one in the United Kingdom — has been fixed since the middle of the twentieth century.

Below is an overview of the four tournaments and their unique historical context.

The four pillars of golf: the Majors and their history

The history of the Majors is an evolution of the sport itself. Originally, the Majors consisted of the two most important tournaments for professionals and the two most important for amateurs (the US Amateur and the British Amateur). As the sport professionalised, the definition shifted to the four tournaments we know today.

1. The Masters Tournament

The Masters is the only Major played every year at the same venue: the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, USA.

• Founded: 1934 by legend Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts.
• Historical context: The tournament started as the 'Augusta National Invitation Tournament'. Bobby Jones wanted to create a course that reflected his vision of strategic golf after his retirement as an amateur golfer.
• Unique feature: The winner receives the iconic Green Jacket, a tradition that started in 1949 (with Sam Snead as the first recipient). The course is known for the immaculate state of its nature and the famous 'Amen Corner' (holes 11, 12 and 13).

2. The PGA Championship

This tournament is organised by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and is specifically intended for the 'professionals' working in the sport.

• Founded: 1916.
• Historical context: The tournament originally started as a Match Play event (one-on-one knockout). Only in 1958 did it switch to the current Stroke Play format (total number of strokes over four rounds), partly under pressure from television networks that wanted the best players in the tournament until the final day.
• Unique feature: The winner receives the heavy Wanamaker Trophy. A unique aspect is that 20 spots are reserved each year for 'club professionals' (golf instructors), making it a tournament for and by professionals.

3. The U.S. Open

The United States Open Championship is organised by the USGA and is known as the toughest physical and mental test of the year.

• Founded: 1895.
• Historical context: What started as a one-day tournament on a 9-hole course in Rhode Island grew into the flagship of the American golf federation. In the early years, the tournament was dominated by British immigrants, until the legendary Francis Ouimet won as an amateur in 1913 and made the sport hugely popular in the US.
• Unique feature: The courses are prepared to be extremely hard, with very narrow fairways and deep rough. The USGA's aim is often that the winning score sits around 'level par'.

4. The Open Championship (British Open)

This is the oldest and most prestigious Major in the world. It is simply called 'The Open' because it was the only one when it was founded.

• Founded: 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland.
• Historical context: Originally, the prize was a red leather belt with a silver buckle. When Young Tom Morris won this belt three times in a row and was allowed to keep it, the famous Claret Jug (the silver wine jug) was introduced in 1872.
• Unique feature: It is always played on a links course (by the coast). As a result, natural elements such as strong wind, deep pot bunkers and unpredictable weather play a bigger role than in the American Majors.

The Grand Slam

When a player wins all four current Majors during their career, it is called a Career Grand Slam. To date, only five players have managed this: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Bobby Jones is the only player to win the "original" Grand Slam (which included the amateur championships) in a single calendar year (1930).